Maximizing Impact: Crafting Powerful Films with Limited Budgets
Moderator
Chris Gore, Film Threat
Panelists
Paul Bales, The Asylum
Max Woertendyke, Noble Gas Media
Jeff Deverett, Producer
Efuru Flowers, Flourishing Films
Richard Botto, Founder & CEO, Stage 32
Speakers
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Chris GoreManaging Director & Head of Production, Film ThreatChris Gore is a comedian and writer who was a regular on G4TV’s Attack of the Show. He is also the founder of Film Threat, the author of several movie books including the Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, writer/producer of the feature comedy My Big Fat Independent Movie.
Chris has appeared as a film expert on MSNBC, E!, CNN, Reelz Channel and has also hosted shows on FX, Starz, IFC as well as G4TV’s Attack of the Show.
As an author, Chris has written “The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made” (St. Martin’s Press) and “The Complete DVD Book” (Michael Wiese Publications). His book “The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide” (Random House) is considered the bible of the industry and is required reading at film school.
His stories have appeared in magazines, online and trades such as The New York Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Video Business, Total Movie, Spin, Details, Men’s Health, ChinaShopMag.com, WaywardNerd.com and Playboy.com.
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Richard BottoFounder & CEO, Stage 32Richard “RB” Botto is the Founder and CEO of Stage 32, a working screenwriter, best-selling author, actor and producer. As the CEO of Stage 32, RB oversees the world’s largest online tech platform connecting and educating the global entertainment industry with over 1 million members in the community. Stage 32 is the education partner of Netflix, the American Film Market, Canon and the Cannes Film Festival Marche du Film. As a screenwriter, RB has sold feature screenplays and recently set up a television series he created at Amblin. As a producer, his films have played at dozens of festivals including Cannes, Sundance, SXSW and Raindance. As an actor, his latest film On the Corner of Ego and Desire recently premiered at the Raindance Film Festival. RB’s book Crowdsourcing For Filmmakers: Indie Film and the Power of the Crowd, was published by Focal Press/Routledge under the American Film Market Presents banner and has hit #1 in 6 different film and business-related categories. The book can be found on Amazon and Audible, where it has garnered over 100 5-star reviews.
RB has been a keynote speaker and panelist all over the world at such festivals and conferences as the Cannes Film Festival (France), American Film Market (US), Tribeca Film Festival (US), Austin Film Festival (US), SXSW (US), Cinequest (US), Winston Baker (US), Hollyshorts Film Festival (US), Raindance Film Festival (UK), FOCUS (UK), Hamburg Film Fest (Germany), Trinidad & Tobago Film Commission (Trinidad), Fest Festival (Portugal), Black Nights Film Festival (Estonia), USC (US), Columbia University (US) and Harvard (US) on the business of the entertainment industry.
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Jeff DeverettProducer, The Indie Film CommunityJeff Deverett defines himself first and foremost as an independent filmmaker. Over the past 15 years Jeff has independently financed and produced nine feature films in the budget range of $700k to $1.4M. Three of his movies, FULL OUT, FULL OUT 2 – YOU GOT THIS!, and KISS & CRY were picked up by Netflix for worldwide distribution. Jeff co-wrote and directed five of these movies and won the Best Director Award for his movie GOD INCORPORATED at the Chandler International Film Festival.
In addition to being a film Producer & Director, Jeff spent the first 25 years of his film career in the Film Distribution business, selling & marketing movies & TV shows. Having worked for several major media companies and ultimately founding and owning his own film distribution company, Jeff has attended hundreds of film festivals and film markets worldwide and has focused mainly on family genre films and children’s programming including iconic brands BARNEY, BOB THE BUILDER, THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE, and many more.
Jeff is an Adjunct Professor in the film/TV department at SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY where he teaches two courses on the business & legal aspects of filmmaking including financing, budgeting, scheduling, distribution, marketing, and film tax credits. With a law degree from Osgoode Hall Law School (Toronto, Canada) and a finance degree from University of Toronto, Jeff is well versed in all aspects of Law, Finance, Intellectual Property and film Producing. Jeff has recently been recruited by UCLA EXTENSION where he will begin teaching two courses in 2025, FILM PRODUCING, and FILM LEGAL ISSUES.
As a Professional Film Consultant, Jeff provides guidance and insights to hundreds of indie filmmakers worldwide who need assistance in getting their projects financed, produced, and distributed & marketed with a focus on both artistic and financial success. Jeff is the Founder and CEO of THE INDIE FILM COMMUNITY, an online platform for film education and guidance. In 2023 Jeff authored & introduced Assembly Bill 1421(AB-1421) to the California State Legislature to create a financial tax credit incentive program for films with budgets under $1.0 million.
Jeff is extremely passionate about filmmaking and loves to share his years of experience and knowledge with aspiring students & filmmakers.
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Max WoertendykeCEO/Founder, Noble Gas MediaA Juilliard trained actor turned award-winning producer, Woertendyke is the founder of Noble Gas Media and the regular producing partner of David Corenswet, Dane Elcar, and others. NGM’s first feature, sci-fi horror BRIGHTWOOD earned 94% Fresh on RT, was called “a masterclass” in The Guardian, became a viral touchstone on #horrortok where non-sponsored content about the film saw 12M+ views, and did 5x in sales vs. budget from TVOD in the first two Qs of release. Other recent projects include REAL LIVE GIRL (dir. by Corenswet, written by BAFTA nom Manon Gage), MILQUETOAST (dir. by Eliza Huberth, starring Vella Lovell and Kayhun Kim), DAD’S RUNNING CLUB (dir. by Claire Siebers, starring Alex Breaux), and WOMAN IN THE SKY, his own documentary (DP’d by Corenswet) about abstract expressionist Jon Schueler and Magda Salvesen, his widow who’s kept his legacy alive. He’s producing Elcar’s second feature, a techno-thriller with horror elements, and was this year’s Keynote Speaker at Juilliard’s Entrepreneurship Symposium, “Creativity as Business” hosted out of Lincoln Center. As a performer, Max’s credits include “Succession”, “Longmire”, an upcoming “Untitled Marvel show”, and Tony, Obie and Audelco winning plays. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son.
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Paul BalesChief Operating Officer, The AsylumSince 2006, Paul Bales has been the Chief Operating Officer and Partner at The Asylum, a production and distribution company based in Burbank, California.
The Asylum finances, produces and releases 25 films per year through its direct pipeline to the nation’s top retailers and its network of international partners. Since its founding in 1997, The Asylum has released more than 500 films and built a library of over 300 original productions, including top-rated series’ for Syfy and Netflix, and, the Sharknado franchise.
Prior to joining The Asylum, Paul was National Director of SAGIndie, the Screen Actors Guild outreach program for independent producers. He is a Board Member of the Independent Film & Television Alliance.
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Efuru FlowersFounder, Flourishing FilmsEFURU FLOWERS is a dynamic force in film distribution, sales, and production, with a career that began at John Singleton’s New Deal Productions. This experience laid the foundation for a passion for bringing compelling stories to audiences worldwide.
As the founder of Flourishing Films, a sales, distribution, and production company, Flowers has orchestrated the release of diverse content, including features, shorts, and documentaries that have screened at prestigious festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Tribeca, Cannes, Hot Docs, Toronto, ABFF, and BlackStar. Recent titles distributed by Flourishing Films include Three Ways, Holiday Hideaway, Ayiti Mon Amour, Right Near The Beach, Paper Friends, Dreamstates, A Moving Image, The Revolution Won’t Be Televised, and Night Shift.
In addition to distribution achievements, Flowers has produced and executive produced a range of acclaimed projects, such as Hulu’s Three Ways; Fox’s presentation of Kim Cole’s stage play Homework; Sundance Official Selection Night Shift starring Tunde Adebimpe (The Idol) and China Shavers (Judas and the Black Messiah); Urbanworld’s ‘Til Death with Tamala Jones (Castle) and Sherman Augustus (Into the Badlands); and ABFF’s Looking For Me, featuring Dayna Dooley (Insecure, The Upshaws).
Most recently, Flowers launched Flourishing Films’ YouTube movie channel, further expanding the company’s reach. Her latest production, Summer of Violence (2024), marks the feature directorial debut of Nicki Micheaux (Good Trouble, In The Dark, Lincoln Heights), and premiered in theaters, starring Kasey Inez (The David Project) and Jahking Guillory (Kicks, On My Block).
Flowers is an alum of the Producers Guild of America’s The Power of Diversity program, Sundance Institute’s Financing Intensive, and Berlinale Talents (Sales & Distribution).
